IDF: Hamas May Detonate Tunnels to Pressure Israel During Talks

Fear of Iran and Islamism is pushing Arabs to Annapolis, says expert Dr. Guy Bechor, but Israel may pay price for summit in blood.

Contact Editor

Gil Ronen, 24/11/07 23:11

The IDF is intensifying its operations against terror tunnels from Gaza to Israel, out of concern that terrorists may opt to use this weapon against Israel in order to derail the Annapolis summit. Bulldozers and other digging machinery are being used to try and locate the tunnels.

No tunnels have been uncovered in recent days, a military source told Ynet, but "a tunnel attack could end quite badly, and we are doing everything possible to prevent that." Extensive searching for tunnels is being carried out in the Erez, Karni and Kerem-Shalom regions of Gaza.

IDF operating on ground and in air.IDF Spokesman.

Ten tunnels ready for use?At Netiv HaAsara, a Jewish community just north of Gaza, residents were asked to stay at home Thursday morning because of a suspected terrorist infiltration. IDF troops poured into the area while military helicopters hovered overhead. The scale of the military presence prompted the community's security coordinator to say that "any Arab who tries to infiltrate the community is simply committing suicide."

Senior IDF officers estimated several months ago that ten tunnels from Hamas-controlled Gaza into Israel had been dug by terrorists"Any Arab who tries to infiltrate the community is simply committing suicide.", who were waiting for the right time to use them. The tunnels could be used for infiltrating into Israeli territory and carrying out terror attacks like the one in June 2006 in which two soldiers were killed and one was captured . They could also be packed with explosives and used against civilian or military targets.

Israel may pay the price for the Annapolis summit in Jewish blood, according to leading Middle East analyst Dr. Guy Bechor. "In the past two years, Hamas had no need for carrying out large scale suicide attacks against Israel, because there was no peace process to derail," he explained in his latest article. Now the situation has changed, he said, and Moussa Abu Marzouk, one of Hamas' leaders, warned explicitly Friday that terror activities would be escalated following Annapolis.

Other experts explain the terror attacks during diplomatic talks as a means by which to pressure the Jewish State into more concessions.

Arabs Want U.S. to Attack IranWhen there is no peace process, life in our region is stable, noted Bechor, but when there is talk of peace the terror attacks come back in full force.

Bechor added that Marzouk issued his threat from Damascus, Syria, the same Syria which was invited to Annapolis. Syria will attend Annapolis because the subject of the Golan Heights will be discussed there, he explained, but at the same time it will continue to host the summit's enemies and act against it.

According to the expert, the reason the Arabs decided to come to Annapolis is their common fear of the Shiite Muslims, led by Iran, and political Islam, which threatens them. They know only the United States can save them from this threat and that they have to cooperate with the summit if they wish to see the U.S. attack Iran.